Slippin’ and a Slidin’ Floods White Plains Hospital ER–Got Salt?

The combination of snow, rain and plummeting temperatures can create a nightmarish scenario for anyone walking, even if it is just a few feet. A simple walk to your car or along a sidewalk where there is “Black Ice” can result in serious problems including sprains, fractures, and brain injury.

White Plains Hospital, for example, experienced a roughly 50 percent spike in Emergency Room visits on Sunday that can be attributed to the yo-yo-like temperatures. In one hour, in particular, 41 patients were registered for treatment in the ER.

Because temperatures are expected to free-fall today, Hospital staff members are expecting another busy evening. (As of 4 P.M. the temperature in White Plains was at 40 degrees and falling.)

In adults ages 65 and older these types of injuries can be serious: One out of three adults falls each year and they are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control. There were 2.3 million nonfatal injuries in 2010 that resulted in more than 662,000 hospitalizations and cost $30 billion in treatment. Common injuries include fractures of the hip, spine, arm, leg, ankle and hand while more serious spills can even cause traumatic brain injuries.